Meringue Pie
/məˈræŋ ˌpaɪ/noun
A pie topped with, or filled with, sweetened whipped egg whites baked until lightly browned.
Did you know?The origin of “meringue” remains disputed: proposed sources include Swiss German dialects and the name of a seventeenth-century Swiss pastry chef, Gasparini, but neither explanation is certain.
Etymological Timeline
17th Century
French
meringue
“A sweet confection made from whipped egg whites and sugar; the word appears in French culinary writing.”
17th Century
Swiss German (proposed)
merängge
“A proposed dialect source for “meringue,” referring to a baked egg-white confection; this derivation is uncertain.”
12th–13th Century
Middle English
pie
“A baked dish containing a mixture of ingredients, often enclosed in pastry.”
15th–16th Century
English
meringue
“A borrowed culinary term for a light, sweet egg-white preparation.”
18th Century
English
meringue pie
“A pie combining pastry or filling with a meringue topping; lemon meringue pie became especially prominent later.”
Modern English
English
meringue pie
“A dessert pie topped with browned meringue, commonly made with lemon, chocolate, or other sweet fillings.”